Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Henry was his uncle's "sweetie” during the day, and his big brother's "sweetie" at night.

Molly had long since handed her kid off to the family-out of sight, out of mind. As for Anya, she never had kids, so freedom was practically her middle name.

On the beach, the older folks gathered together, sharing stories and bursting into laughter. The women lounged back in their chairs, soaking in the warmth and the occasional admiring glance.

Nobody could quite explain it, but the guys all seemed drawn to the ocean, itching to go diving. Sure enough, a handful of them, all around the same age, grabbed their gear and headed straight for the waves. Aaron let out a sigh about getting older, complaining that he just couldn't keep up like he used to. Mr. Calder clapped him on the back and grinned, "All those years of boozy business dinners guess they finally caught up with us."

Bruce Cedillo piped up, saying work kept him from unwinding for years. Kendrick quickly bonded with him-they were both in the same line of work, and soon enough they were swapping stories like old friends.

Before long, the four of them were daydreaming about retirement, picturing themselves and their wives traveling wherever the road took them, finally free of work and stress. They found so much in common, they half-joked, half-promised that one day, when they were all old and gray, the four families would go on a big road trip together.

It was kind of amazing, really, how the Cedillo family had ended up connecting everyone, turning four separate families into one close-knit crew.

Anya wanted to have some fun in the water but felt a little shy. Her daughter was grown now, so asking her dad to go surfing was out of the question. That left her boyfriend, who was more than happy to step up.

Leo was all in. Out in the surf, where Anya's toes couldn't even touch the sand, she clung to him, both thrilled and a little scared.

Back on the shore, Mia and Molly watched the pair bobbing among the waves. "Mia, you think Leo's taking advantage of Anya out there?" Molly asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

"He already has," Mia said, smirking.

"What?"

Mia just pointed at Molly's chest and raised her eyebrows. It took a second, but then the realization hit-Molly's jaw dropped. "You're kidding! Anya actually went for it?"

Mia laughed. "What do you think? Anya can't stand seeing Leo suffer. She always puts Chad first, too. Honestly, with the two of them living together this long, it's a miracle she's tasted. And Leo's self-control? That's impressive, too."

Molly caught Mia's hand and tugged her into the shade. “She's so sweet, but honestly—so clueless. Why'd she give in so soon? There goes all her freedom." Mia grinned. "Seriously. She doesn't even know how jealous we are."

Rich, pretty, free-no kids, no husband, no headaches.

The two of them wandered over to grab some fruit, swapping gripes about their sons, poking fun at their husbands, rolling their eyes at marriage, and secretly wishing they were single again.

Meanwhile, down by the water, Andre and Chad were busy bragging about their wives, defending their family honor, discussing the secrets to a happy marriage— and carefully avoiding talk of their sons.noveldrama

Chad, cradling his little boy who refused to walk or crawl and

demanded to be carried everywhere,

sighed. "Andre, I remember Henry

couldn't even sit up until July, and he

didn't crawl till September, right?

Mine's still taking it easy."

Andre reached out to pinch Wayne's cheek. His nephew looked a lot like his sister same sparkle in the eyes. "Henry only learns what he wants. when he wants. He picks stuff up fast, but he's stubborn as heck. If you make it into a game, he's all in-learned to sit and crawl just for snacks. When Mia cried, he secretly started walking. He's been a rebel since before he was born."

"Now, unless he's causing trouble, he's just not happy. He gets curious about everything. If he manages to sit still for five minutes, that's a miracle."